Sign of a Broken Heart!

                                                                                                                                Ash Wednesday!

                                                Psalm 51:1-17 & Matt. 6:1-6 & 16-21

 

            David is confronted by the Prophet Nathan after he has taken Bathsheba and had her husband killed!  This psalm is a psalm of David after he is confronted and realizes his sin.  It is a psalm of a broken heart of a man who really sees himself as God sees him.  He is pleading for mercy.  He realizes his sin is not only against Bathsheba and her husband, but also against God, so he says create in me a clean heart, do not cast me away from your presence, restore to me the joy of your salvation!  He says I know that burnt offerings will not fix this.  The only sacrifice acceptable is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

 

            David realized that, when we realize our sin that separates us from God, the only thing we can do is present our brokenness to God as a complete surrender.  Putting on ashes has historically been considered a sign of that brokenness and complete surrender, so as you come tonight for the imposition of ashes, come realizing your sin that separates you from God, bring your brokenness to God, and put on the sign of a broken heart! We need the inward broken spirit and broken and contrite heart: repentance!  Ashes are a symbol of that!

 

            As you go from this place, the days of Lent have historically been a time when people do without something or add something to draw closer to God.  As a side note, since Sundays are not a part of Lent but are distinguished as Sundays “in” Lent (Sundays are always little celebrations of the resurrection), we can take time off from our fasting or whatever on Sunday.  On fasting and doing without things, the Matthew text gives us some insight.  This should be a personal thing.  We should not take on about how we are fasting or doing without chocolate or whatever.  We should not make a big deal about what we are doing and how religious we are, but we should do whatever we need to, in order to draw closer to God, during lent as we realize our sin that caused Christ to have to die!  Let this Lenten season be a special time of drawing closer to God.  This week, I reposted something I saw on Facebook.  It said, “Keep the chocolate, and give up bigotry, judgement, legalism, and hatred in all forms.”  Doesn’t that capture the spirit of Lent?  Thanks be to God! 

Imposition of Ashes!